State Chimera
by Axrat
Summary: Edward Elric was sent off on a mission alone and failed to return. Despite being declared dead, the search for him continued. When they finally find Edward, will they be able to understand what he's been through? What troubles will it bring to them all?
1. Prologue: Disappearance

_Author's notes: Someone shoot me, another fic. This is the second FMA fic I've typed, but the first one I'm posting. I should be working on Abused and Just an Emotionless Nobody but… _

_Edward: What about 'The Five Alone', 'Chaos over the Sword', 'Life of All Worlds', 'Organization Mishaps'-_

_Me: (muffles Edward) Shut up while you're still alive. Besides, I've already made it clear on my profile that my Legend of Zelda fics are on an extended hiatus… is anyone even reading those things anymore? Anyway, enough rambling. _

_Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, do you really think that this would be on ?_

**State Chimera**

Roy glanced up as the door to his office opened, putting his pen down. He folded his hands together as the Elric brothers walked in. Neither were aware that this wasn't another lead for the Philosopher's Stone. Edward would go off once he found out, but the kid had no choice but to comply. Roy had been told to pass on an official military mission to Edward, so if the kid didn't obey orders there would be an official court martial by the higher-ups. Edward sat down on the couch and looked at Roy.

"Hello, Colonel bastard."

"Hello, Fullmetal." Roy replied, shrugging off the elder Elric brother's nickname for him. "I have a short mission for you." He smirked slightly.

"Don't call me short." Edward glared. "It puts me in a bad mood."

"Anyway, the Fuhrer has given you an official military mission. I'm not sure of the details, but they'll all be in here." Roy said, passing Edward a folder. "The mission shouldn't take more than two weeks, but I'm sure that someone of your ability will be able to manage this in under that time." He paused. "Oh, and this is an official military mission, meaning that Alphonse can't get involved."

Silence followed, until Edward decided to break it.

"But that's not fair. Me and Al have followed every lead side-by-side."

"But this is your first military mission, and Alphonse is not part of the military." Roy countered. "And if you want to keep your secret a secret, then I suggest it remains that way." No one spoke for awhile.

"Fine." The elder Elric brother grumbled, crossing his arms. "Is that okay with you, Al?" He asked, looking up at his younger brother.

"We don't have a choice, brother. You have to go alone, otherwise they could court martial you." Alphonse replied. Edward sighed, knowing that his brother had a point.

"You leave tomorrow morning. The train tickets are included in the folder." Roy explained as Edward got up. The Fullmetal Alchemist didn't reply, except by nodding, and then turned and left the office, Alphonse close behind.

"You think he's ready for this?" Riza, silent until now, asked, looking over at Roy.

"Does he have a choice?" He asked in response, signing some paperwork that he hadn't read.

"Guess not…"

Roy sighed, glancing up from his paperwork to look at Alphonse. You could tell, even though he was a suit of armor, that he was worried. Edward had been gone for a month now, and the mission said that it would've taken two weeks at most. Riza hadn't said anything, but you could tell that she was worried, too. Hell, everyone wanted to know what had happened to the Fullmetal Alchemist. Even Roy wondered…

"I'm sure he's just been held up, Alphonse. Got on the wrong train, maybe, or maybe things were worse off than expected and he's stayed back to help out." The colonel tried to convince the younger Elric brother that Edward was fine, but the words weren't very convincing. He had a hard time believing them himself. Alphonse just nodded, before standing.

"Thank you, sir." He said with a bow before he left the office.

"You think it was a good idea for him to be sent off alone?" Riza asked Roy.

"It wasn't my choice. I probably would've let the brothers go together. After all, Alphonse would've become a State Alchemist, too, had it not been for the fact that he's an empty suit of armor."

Riza simply nodded.

"They've officially proclaimed Edward dead." Riza commented as she entered the office at the end of her lunch break. Roy sighed with a nod, looking at the paperwork regarding Edward's disappearance and 'death'.

"He's been gone three months. He was supposed to be gone two weeks. They proclaimed him missing in action a month after he was supposed to return, remember?" He commented in a dull tone. Riza just nodded, taking her place behind him.

"Are you going to sign those?" She asked after he just sat there, staring at the papers. Roy sighed, before signing the papers and making Edward's death official.

"We've gotten word from Alphonse, sir."

Roy glanced up at Kain Fuery with slight interest. They hadn't heard from Alphonse since Edward had been proclaimed dead. He'd just disappeared one day, and didn't return.

"Do tell." The Colonel put his pen down and folded his hands.

"He's been in Risembool with the Rockbells this entire time, sir." Kain told him.

"It makes sense." Roy muttered. It was only right that Alphonse would've gone to his hometown and let the Rockbells know about Edward having been proclaimed dead. "Is there any news regarding Edward?" He asked. Roy had kept his subordinates searching for the Fullmetal Alchemist secretly, even after his death had been made official. Kain shook his head.

"Nothing new, sir."

Roy sighed. "You can go, Fuery."

He watched as Kain bowed, then left the office.

"Sir, it's extremely unlikely that they'll find anything regarding Edward at this point." Riza told him. Roy just nodded.

"I know."

"Welcome back, Alphonse." Roy spoke, glancing up as the suit of armor entered his office. Alphonse just nodded. It had been five months since Edward had gone missing. "Al, we've been searching for your brother in secret. I find it extremely unlikely that someone like him would die easily. Myself and Hawkeye are going to start searching, too. You know your brother better than anyone else, so I want you to come with us." Alphonse's eyes lit up.

"I knew it! I knew he's alive." The younger Elric brother exclaimed, trying to hide his excitement, although he was failing. Roy smiled. _I thought that'd cheer him up a bit. _

"I'll have Havoc get you when we're ready to go." The Colonel told Alphonse, who nodded.

"Yes sir!" He bowed, then turned and left the office. Roy smiled.

"That cheered him up."

"But for how long, Colonel?" Riza asked him.

"As long as we stay optimistic around him, he should be fine."

_Author's notes: Yes, I know it's short, but it's just the prologue. I should have the next chapter up soon… if my X-mas pressies don't distract me. _


	2. First Hint of Evidence

_Author's notes: Here's the first actual chapter for you all. _

_Alphonse: How far have you planned this out? _

_Me: Far enough… _

_Alphonse: Whatever you say. _

_Disclaimer: Honestly, you'd have to be really thick to think that I would post this here if I owned Fullmetal Alchemist? _

**State Chimera**

Roy sighed, running a hand through his raven hair. They were in the middle of Central, looking for any clues to Edward's where-abouts. He and his subordinates had regrouped, and were currently walking in one group, trading anything they had found. They were also receiving weird looks from passers-by. Alphonse didn't say anything. It had been a month since Al, Roy and Riza had joined the search efforts, and well, the younger Elric brother was running out of optimism.

Roy sighed. He was starting to doubt that they'd ever find Edward Elric alive. Everyone was searching in their own time now, and they'd usually meet during lunch breaks to plan their next search area.

"Sir, I found something today. It's unmistakably Edward's handwriting." Riza spoke quietly as they entered the military building. "I'll show you all in the office." The others nodded to her. They quickly made their way up to Roy's office, all excited to see what Riza had found. Once they were there, they made sure that no one was eavesdropping. The lieutenant laid out a chart on the table, and everyone leaned over it.

"It's a list…" Havoc pointed out the obvious.

"It seems to be a list of all the places we've agreed to search in our meetings." Fallman specified.

"So Fullmetal is here in Central, and spying on us." Roy muttered. "_Places to steer clear of_, so he's avoiding us…"

"But why would Brother avoid us?" Alphonse questioned.

"Maybe he doesn't want to be found." Riza suggested. "Maybe something happened to him, and he feels the need to keep us in the dark."

"Well, then. We'll have to make false locations at our next meeting, then catch him and figure out what his reasons are." Roy suggested, well, more like decided. Everyone else nodded. Kain spread a map out on the table. They planned out how they would search for Edward. They planned to use Black Hayake. They'd stay in a group instead of splitting up. Seemed fool-proof enough. Alphonse's optimism had returned and he seemed really excited to get going. Once they finished strategizing, they all retreated back to their home or dorm. Alphonse was staying in Edward's old dorm, thanks to Roy convincing the higher-ups to allow him to, seeing as he had nowhere else to go except Risembool, and he wasn't prepared to go home.

Roy glanced up at the clock. Lunch break. He put his pen down and walked over to the table. Kain laid the map out, and Alphonse entered the office. Everyone surrounded the map as they planned their false search areas and false 'not to visit' locations. They knew that Black Hayake would lead them to those locations, since that's where Edward would be.

"We have tomorrow off. We'll meet outside here at noon. Is that clear?" Roy asked, looking at the others. They all nodded. Alphonse mentally sighed, knowing that his brother was currently spying on them. "Go get some food before lunch is over." The Colonel ordered them. Everyone nodded and left. Roy folded up the map and put it away. _Fullmetal, you have some explaining to do. _He commented mentally, looking out the window.

They all met up outside the military building, all wearing their casual clothes. Riza brought along Black Hayake, since they knew that Edward was in the area. Alphonse let the dog smell some of Edward's things. He knew that the scent was probably old, and not very reliable. Even so, Black Hayake began to lead them through Central, and sure enough, to their 'not to visit' locations. They zigzagged through the town, following the dog.

"Could we get something to eat?" Kain requested. Roy nodded to Riza.

"Black Hayake." She spoke in a stern tone. The dog stopped and darted to her side. "Good dog." She patted its head as praise.

They all headed to a nearby café to eat, and ordered their food. Alphonse stood in silence, constantly looking towards the rooftop.

"Al, why are you looking up there?" Riza had asked him, curious that he would be looking up while everyone figured that Edward would be on the ground.

"It's just a feeling I have…" Al had replied with as much of a shrug as he could manage. "Plus, someone has to watch the rooftops. Brother may be hiding from us up there."

Alphonse glanced at a blink of red cloth that appeared on the roof, and then disappeared just as quickly. "There!" He exclaimed, pointing. "I saw something up there." Could it have been Edward? He wasn't sure. He just hoped it was. Alphonse didn't want any more false leads.

Everyone looked at him, and Riza whistled. Black Hayake got up and took off, everyone close behind, completely forgetting about their food. They rounded a corner and saw someone disappear into an alleyway.

"That's a dead end." Roy commented as they ran around the corner and saw what they were chasing. It was a cat chimera – that much was apparent by the ears and tail. It leaped up to get onto the roof, but Alphonse reached out and yanked on its tail. The chimera let out a cat-like yowl, landing back on the ground and spinning around to glare at him, obviously ticked off at his tail getting pulled.

"What the hell was that for, Al?!"

Black Hayake growled at him. Everyone froze, and the chimera got that 'oh shit' expression on his face.

_Author's note: I know it's way too short, but bear with me. After this the chapters will get longer. Promise._

_Edward: Riiight. _

_Me: Do you want to keep your head? _

_Edward: You couldn't do any worse than Winry. _

_Me: Whatever. WINRY! EDWARD'S BEING COCKY! DO YOU HAVE A SPARE WRENCH? _

_Edward: (meep) _


	3. Chimera Revealed

_Author's notes: Yes, this chapter should be longer than the last one, simply because I don't care where I end this one. _

_Edward: (hand covering forehead) And you cared for the last one. _

_Me: Yes, Edward. Do you need another wrench to the head? _

_Edward: No, I'm fine. _

_Me: That's what I thought. OH! I've been getting people asking if this is going yaoi. The answer is no. I'll read yaoi, but you won't catch me writing it at this point in time. So don't ask._

_Disclaimer: If you think I own Fullmetal Alchemist, you are really thick. _

**State Chimera**

"B-brother?" Alphonse stuttered, looking into the golden eyes of the Chimera. Roy and everyone else were standing in shock. Edward Elric was in front of them, flesh and blood. Only he had ears and a tail, which were the same shade of blond as his hair. His eyes were also slit, too, like a cat's or a Homunculi's eyes. "Y-you're a-"

"Chimera, I know." Edward cut his brother off. He was wearing his normal black pants (although he had cut a slit in the back of them for his tail), tank-top and jacket, but had abandoned his red cloak somewhere after Alphonse had spotted it on the roof. His face was smudged with dirt, and had a quite a few scratches on it, but he appeared fine, other than that. Black Hayake barked at him, and he just hissed, revealing sharp, pointed canine teeth, not unlike a cat's. Riza glared at Black Hayake, and the dog whimpered, retreating behind her. Edward flicked his tail, giving Riza's dog an 'I'm watching you' glare. Roy had finally got over his initial shock.

"Fullmetal, what the hell happened to you and why didn't you ask us for help instead of running away?" He snapped. Edward sighed, his ears flattening against his head. _Well that's convenient… _Roy commented to himself. _His ears give away his emotions… that would be bad for him in a fight, though. _They'd have to see what they could do about that.

"How could I let Al see me with cat ears, a tail and eyes that make me look like I should have an ouroboros mark on me?" Edward retorted. "I couldn't bring myself to let you find me. I wasn't expecting you to set the dog on me, though." Alphonse mentally sighed. All that time he had been worrying about his older brother, he'd been trying to protect him from the truth.

"I had to go through the post-processing for you, Fullmetal." Roy crossed his arms, and Edward rolled his eyes.

"Right. As if keeping a little paperwork off your desk was more important then keeping _this_," he pointed to his ears, "secret, Colonel Bastard."

"I see the cat part hasn't changed your attitude."

"Should it have?" Edward retorted, crossing his arms. He sighed. "I guess you're going to have to come with you guys… just let me get my cloak." Before they could argue, he had jumped off a trash can and onto the rooftops like a cat, and ran out of sight.

"He'll be back." Alphonse spoke. "There's no reason for him to run now that we know about him being a Chimera." The others nodded.

Sure enough, a couple minutes later, Edward dropped down off the roof, landing on his hands and feet in a crouched position. His cloak was folded and tucked under his arm. He straightened up and pulled his cloak on, wrapping it around himself. It was impossible to see his tail now.

"Do you still have your automail limbs?" Riza asked out of curiosity. Edward nodded, pulling his right sleeve up past his glove to reveal his metal arm. It looked pretty banged up, and was dented in some places.

"Winry's going to kill me…" He commented, running his hand over the dents. Then Alphonse remembered his trip to Risembool.

"Brother, Winry thinks that you're already dead."

Edward paused, and then closed his eyes. "I guess she would've been told…" He pulled his hood over his head. Everyone had expected his ears to show still, but they weren't visible. "I fold them against my head. It's annoying, but it works." Edward explained with a shrug. Roy nodded.

"Let's go. We need to go to HQ and tell them about Edward's survival." The others nodded, and the group turned and left. Edward hung back, since Riza and Black Hayake were in the front. Roy walked with Edward and filled him in on everything that had happened, and how Alphonse had reacted to his disappearance.

"He took it kind of harshly…" Edward sighed. "If I had known that it was going to be that hard on him I would've left a note or sent a letter to him. I should've, actually."

"Yes, you should've." Roy glared at him. The Fullmetal Alchemist sighed.

They all continued on in silence, before they got to Central Headquarters. The group went inside, and Edward attempted to hide in Alphonse's shadow, unsuccessfully. A lot of people looked in his direction, and they heard a lot of mutterings, and Edward was cursing his size for not helping him. Eventually they made it to Roy's office, and Edward couldn't get in fast enough.

"You should probably call Winry. You can use my phone; just don't mention your condition over the line." Roy told Edward. He nodded, lowering his hood. His ears twitched as they straightened up from being pressed against his head for so long. He grabbed the phone, looked at it, and frowned. "What's the problem, Fullmetal?"

"My human ears don't work anymore."

"That complicates things for you."

"No kidding." Edward sighed as he dialed Winry's number, relying on his cat hearing to be better than his human hearing had been.

"_Rockbell Automail Mechanics." _

"Winry?"

"…_Who's this?" _

"What? Can't you recognize my voice, Winry? It's Edward." He laughed.

"_EDWARD?!" _Winry shrieked on the other end. Edward pulled the phone away from himself, and everyone looked over, having heard the girl's shriek.

"No need to yell." Edward commented into the phone.

"_Where have you been? Al said that you were dead!" _

"It's a long story; I can't explain it all right now. My automail's a bit banged up, though. Did you want to come here or do you want me to go to Risembool?"

"_I'll come to you! Besides, if you walked into Risembool it would cause a bit stir." _

"Alright, thanks, Winry."

"_Yep! I'll see you and Al in a couple days."_

"See you then." Edward hung up. "Winry said that she'd come here." He said, before slumping down onto the couch and sighing. No one said anything, until a knock on the door caused them all to jump. Edward yanked his hood over his face again.

"Come in." Roy called. The door opened and Fuhrer Bradley walked into the room. He glanced over at Edward, who looked away. Everyone else (except Alphonse, who had retreated to the back of the room) saluted. "Fuhrer. What brings on this sudden visit?" Roy asked.

"As you were." The Fuhrer spoke before answering the question. Everyone eased up a bit. "I heard a rumor going around that Edward Elric had returned, and I came to see if it was true. And in fact, it is." He looked back over at Edward. "Why are you hiding your face?" He questioned. Roy was quick to answer.

"His face was badly banged up when we found him, and he'd prefer not to let anyone see it."

"Ah, I see. Well, then, carry on." With that he left. Once they were sure that he was gone, Edward pulled his hood down again and straightened his ears.

"You should go get some rest, Edward. You and Alphonse go back to your dorm." Riza suggested. The Elric brothers nodded.

"See you tomorrow." Edward waved as he left, pulling his hood over his head. Alphonse bowed, before quickly following after his brother.

The two darted through the building, trying to avoid the other people inside. They quickly retreated into their dorm, and Edward pulled his cloak off after the door closed. His tail was wrapped around him, so he unwrapped it and flicked it. He sat on his bed and sighed. His tail shifted as if it had a mind of its own.

"I'll go get you something to eat." Alphonse told Edward, before leaving the room. Edward glanced around, and it dawned on him exactly how long he had been gone. He stood and looked out the window, leaning on the sill. He opened the window and closed his eyes, letting the breeze run against his face. He wasn't sure how long it was before Alphonse returned with a tray of food. Edward took it and sat back down on the bed. He wolfed it down, and set the tray to the side.

He glanced at Alphonse, who seemed to be keeping to the corner, and raised an eyebrow. Alphonse noticed it, and mentally gulped. Edward grinned, and let out a cat-like meow sound. It was replied with a 'mew' which echoed off of metal.

"Hand over the kitten." He said, extending a hand. Alphonse hesitantly removed the front of his armor and pulled a small, dark brown kitten out. It had black stripes on its sides, all attached to a long stripe on its back, which also ran down its tail. He handed the kitten to Edward, who sat it on his lap and smiled at it. "Too bad we live in the dorms." He commented. Alphonse looked at his brother in surprise. Every other stray cat Edward had turned away. "What? I'm part stray now, Al." He laughed at his brother. "I was transmuted with a stray cat. Don't be so surprised." He started to pet the kitten, which purred. Edward let out another meow and a slight laugh.

"You speak cat?" Alphonse asked in awe. Edward nodded.

"Of course I can! What will it take to get it through that metal skull that I'm part cat?" He laughed at his younger brother, who scratched the back of his helmet in embarrassment. "We'll find a home for him in the next few days, alright, Al?" Alphonse nodded in response. Edward sat the kitten down on the pillow with a soft meow, and it curled up. "I'll be back later, Al, alright?"

"Where are you going, brother?"

"I'll be back, Al," was all he said before grabbing his cloak and pulling it on. "Don't let the kitten leave, alright?" He pulled the hood up and sprang out through the window, and then ran off. Alphonse sighed.

Edward didn't return until about midnight. He clambered back in through the window, and closed it behind him. Alphonse looked at his brother as he lowered his hood, revealing quite a few new scratches.

"What did you get yourself into, brother?"

"Just a cat Chimera fight." Edward shrugged.

"You mean you're not the only cat Chimera in Central?"

"There's a whole clan out there…" Edward blinked at Alphonse's ignorance. "Most are left over from Lab 5's time in operation." He yawned. "Anyway, don't tell anyone. I'll see you in the morning." He curled up on his bed and quickly fell asleep. The kitten walked over to him and curled up against his neck.

Alphonse sighed. This was going to take awhile to get used to.

* * *

_Author's notes: Well, I told you that this chapter would be longer than the others. I've been trying to get at least 2000 words (although I failed miserably on the last two) per chapter. If you're an anonymous reader, don't be afraid to review, too. I'm probably going to continue this with or without reviews, but they're good encouragement for me to keep going. You don't want this to end up like my Legend of Zelda fics, do you? _


	4. Informing a Friend

_Author's notes: I can't think of much to say…_

_Edward: Let's celebrate! _

_Me: (smacks Edward) _

_Disclaimer: Do I __**really **__have to say this? Didn't think so._

**State Chimera**

The next five days were extremely slow. Edward couldn't go anywhere, or he was risking being found out. He would constantly sneak out via the window, though, and run off to who knows where. Every time he came back with more scratches. They weren't able to find a home for the kitten, so Edward and Alphonse hid it in their room. Edward being able to speak cat helped a lot. Roy's biggest worry was brushed away when Edward demonstrated that he still kept the ability to use Alchemy, which meant that it would be a lot easier to hide the Fullmetal Alchemist's condition. The colonel was getting more annoyed by the day, noticing the new scratches that Edward gained each day.

On the sixth day, Winry showed up at Central. Edward risked getting caught to go with Alphonse to meet her at the station. He kept pulling his hood up over his face, and stayed close to Alphonse. Winry got off the train with her suitcase, and immediately darted over to them. She saw Edward hiding in Alphonse's shadow, and sat her suitcase down, before running over to him and wrapping her arms around her neck. Ed's hood nearly fell, but Al grabbed it at the last second and pulled it back over his face. Winry noticed this, and stepped back.

"Why're you hiding your face, Ed?"

"I'll explain later. Let's just get back to HQ." He replied. The younger of the two brothers had grabbed Winry's suitcase. The three of them started to head back to Central HQ, and Winry managed to refrain from going psycho, somehow. They quickly retreated back to the dorm, where Winry hugged Edward again.

"I can't believe you're alive!" She exclaimed, not noticing that his hood had fallen, revealing his ears. Edward just smiled, although she was beginning to crush him.

"Winry…" He choked. "Can't… breathe…"

"Sorry!" She exclaimed, jumping back. The automail mechanic gasped when she saw his ears. "What… happened?" She asked, gaping at the sight.

"I was transmuted with a stray cat while I was gone…" Edward replied, pulled off his cloak and unwrapped his tail. Winry could only stare in shock, before grabbing the suitcase from Alphonse, and pulling a familiar wrench from a side pocket. She smacked Edward across the head with it. He let out a yowl, getting the kitten's attention.

"How could you let something like this happen to you?! You were being reckless and got captured, weren't you?"

"P-pretty much…"

Whack.

"GEEZ! Don't expect me to buy you any more tools." He commented, flinching away and rubbing where she had smacked him. Suddenly, her arms were wrapped around his neck again.

"Don't do that to us, Edward. Don't let us think you're dead." She whispered to him, before stepping back and grabbing the suitcase. "Anyway," she pulled out some tools, "sit. I want to see how badly you banged up your automail."

"Fine, just don't hit me." Edward replied, sitting on his bed. The kitten glanced at Winry, and jumped under the bed, causing everyone to laugh at it. "Guess it doesn't like you."

"It probably heard your yowling." Winry retorted, sitting beside Edward as he pulled his jacket off, leaving him in his tank top and pants. Winry's eyes widened when she saw the state of her 'perfect' automail. "How did it get so banged up?!"

"It's a long story." Edward replied. He felt her disconnect his arm, and frowned with mutterings of 'this needs to be replaced' or 'this dent can be taken out' and a 'how did that get banged up so badly?!' She took the arm over to the suitcase, and began to work on it. It turned out that her suitcase had a couple outfits and a bunch of automail parts in it, along with her tools. Edward and Alphonse watched her work, although neither understood what half the parts were. Edward didn't care as long as it worked and did what it was supposed to do.

"Edward, are you keeping the ears and tail?" She asked out of curiosity. Edward blinked, caught off-guard by the question. "Were you planning on getting them cut off, is what I'm trying to ask."

"I use the tail to balance, and my human ears don't work anymore. If you want to see what I mean, come with me tonight." Edward replied. "The automail will be done by then… right?" He added. He couldn't run across the rooftops without an arm or a leg.

"Of course, silly! Who do you think you're dealing with here?" Winry replied, looking up at him with a cocky smirk. "It's a lot faster than making it from scratch." She added, before going back to her work.

True to her word, Winry had finished the arm, and the leg, by dinner. She reattached them after her and Edward ate, giving him a little time to recover before he ran off. Alphonse was surprised that Edward had offered to let her tag along, since he hadn't offered it to anyone else. When night finally came, Edward pulled his jacket and cloak back on, before opening the window.

"Winry, are you coming?" He asked. Winry blinked at him, and walked over.

"Edward, we are a few stories up."

"No worries." He grinned. "Cats always land on their feet, Winry."

"But humans don't."

"If you can't make this jump you won't be able to tag along." Edward told her, climbing onto the sill. "Here, I'll hang onto you." He offered his left hand. Winry hesitantly took it, and he pulled her up onto the sill, wrapping his arm around her. "Close your eyes, and don't scream." He added, before jumping. He landed on his feet, and set Winry down. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it, Winry?" She shook her head, quivering slightly. He shot a thumbs up to Alphonse, who was watching from the window. "Try to keep up. I'll slow down for you." Edward told Winry, before taking off on all fours. Winry darted after him, glad that she had worn pants instead of her normal miniskirt.

Edward stopped on the side of a house, crouching down. He glanced at Winry. "Use the ladder to climb up." He motioned to a ladder positioned on the side of the house. "The roofs are close together, so you don't have to worry about it when you jump." Winry nodded nervously. Edward sprang up onto the roof, and she clambered up the ladder. He waited, crouched down on the flat roof for her, and once she made it up, took off. He sprang off the rooftop and onto the next, and Winry hesitantly managed it.

They continued that for about ten, fifteen minutes until Edward jumped off a roof, landing in front of an old abandoned warehouse. Winry climbed down a ladder that was on the side of the building he had jumped off, and walked beside him as they headed towards the warehouse.

"Edward? Why are we here?" She asked.

"This is where the city's Chimeras stay, or in my case, run to at night." Edward replied, and Winry gulped.

* * *

_Author's notes: Sorry I didn't have this up yesterday. Stuff got in my way. I feel like I rushed this chapter... but it's up now. _


	5. Cat Fight, Chimera Style

_Author's notes: Sorry this too so long! I went to my friend, who readers of my colab fanfiction 'Organization Mishaps' will recognize as Rahsax, well, if you've read the one chapter the two of us have up. We're stumped on it, trying to figure out whether or not to wait for 358/2 Days to come out in English… why am I talking about Kingdom Hearts in a Fullmetal Alchemist fic? _

_Edward: Because you're stupid? _

_Me: You never learn, do you? _

_Disclaimer: This is FANFICION. And it's in ENGLISH. I would have to be Japanese before I could even CLAIM to own it, which I don't claim to. I'm not rich enough to buy it, either. _

**State Chimera**

Winry was frozen in place. Edward had said that this was pretty much the Chimera house… and she was a human. A normal human. Surely the Chimeras wouldn't be happy. She was brought out of her thoughts when Edward called her name.

"You can't tell anyone where this is." He told her as he motioned for her to follow him inside. Winry followed, unable to do much else. No doubt if she ran a Chimera inside would see her, and give chase… Edward pushed the door to the warehouse open, and the two darted in before he quietly closed the door behind him.

Inside was a group, the number somewhere between ten and twenty. Some didn't appear to be Chimeras at all, and others had obvious animal appearances, like Edward's ear, or tail. Other than Edward, she saw two or three cat Chimeras inside. The oldest of them, a man in his mid-twenties, shot a glare at Edward, which the Fullmetal Alchemist returned without hesitation. Winry decided that they either didn't like each other, or she wasn't wanted here. She hoped it was the earlier.

Edward spun around when someone tapped his shoulder, laughing when he saw a young boy, about ten, with brown hair. His cat ears and tail, the same colour as his hair, were apparent, and he was wearing baggy cargo pants with a navy blue tank-top, along with some army boots. His cerulean cat eyes seemed to have a bit of amusement in them, and he was grinning, revealing his fangs.

"Heya, Kazzie." Edward smiled, putting an arm around the boy's shoulders. "Oh, Winry, this is Kazuya." He introduced, and the boy held out his hand to her. Winry shook it. "He's the youngest of the Chimeras."

"Pleased to meet you, Kazuya. I'm Winry, one of Edward's friends." She smiled.

"Eddy told me about you. He says you can be mean at times." Kazuya replied, still smirking. Winry gave Edward that 'oh really?' look, and he chuckled.

"Don't hit me with a wrench and maybe I won't say stuff like that." He shrugged, causing the Chimera child at his side to giggle quietly.

"Elric."

Everyone turned to see the last Cat Chimera, and well, she didn't look happy. Her hair was charcoal black, and her eyes were yellow cats-eyes. Her clothing consisted of baggy camouflage pants and a T-shirt. She looked to be in her early twenties. Like Edward, the newcomer was covered in scratches, all over her face, neck and arms.

"Did I mention that the black cat is extreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeemely ticked off?" Kazuya asked, looking up at Edward, who shook his head.

"No, Kaz, you failed to mention that. Winry, stay behind me." Winry moved so that Edward was between her and 'the black cat'. Kazuya stepped back, so he was beside her, and the chimeras began to form a circle around Edward and the female Cat Chimera. "What's your problem, anyway, Sawako?" Edward asked, crossing his arms.

"You brought a human to our hideout. She'll go squeal to the army! You know that!"

"You know very well that I'm a part of the military."

They were circling now.

"That's exactly why you shouldn't know we're here. Masaru should've left you to die in the streets of Lior."

"What's it matter to you?"

"EVERYTHING."

Sawako's fingernails extended into claws, about an inch long each. Edward smirked, clapping and transmuting similar claws on his automail, as his fingernails on his left arm extended into claws as well.

"If it's a fight you want," Edward smirked, "it's a fight you'll get." Winry was about to dart forward to stop them, but Kazuya held her back.

"Ever seen a Chimera fight? It's worse than a cat fight, ESPECIALLY us Cat Chimeras. We get really bad sometimes." He told her. That alone was enough to make her stay where she was.

Sawako lowered into a crouch, and Edward mirrored the movement. Everything got quiet for awhile, before the two shot up at the same time. They slashed at each other with their newly obtained claws, hissing loudly. They landed finally, facing away from each other. They turned around, still hissing, and they circled again, still crouched down. Their tails flicked back and forth in agitation, and their ears were pinned back against their heads. Winry was able to see a few new scratches on Edward's face and neck, and his cloak had been swiped on his arm, cutting through it and his jacket underneath, slicing his skin. Edward lashed first this time, jumping up and slicing Sawako with his automail claws, the two snarling and hissing at each other as the swiped. Back and forth, back and forth. Eventually, Sawako rolled backwards, turned and sprang back at Edward, landing on his back and digging her claws in. He hissed, rolling onto his back, before rolling back onto all fours. She yanked her claws out, having left ten long gashes in his back.

"Give up, kitten." Sawako hissed as the two began to circle again.

"Just because I'm small doesn't mean I'm a kitten." Edward hissed in response, lunging at her and pinning her to the ground. "I'd kill you if you weren't Masaru's sister." He stood, and his claws on his left hand retracted. He clapped, and transmuted his automail arm back to normal, before turning and walking away from the winded chimera. Kazuya laughed, and most of the Chimeras seemed to be uneasy. The oldest of the Cat Chimeras, the man who had glared at Edward earlier, walked over to Edward once he had returned to where Winry and Kazuya were standing, applauding. His hair was a very dark brown, almost black, and his eyes were the same colour as Sawako's.

"Well, well, Elric. You did well, I'm impressed. I believe this is the first time another Chimera has ever taken down my sister. Maybe you knocked some sense into her." The man commented. Edward laughed.

"Nah, I've fought things tougher than her, Masaru, I don't see what was so hard about it." He shrugged. Winry frowned, looking at the gashes on his back.

"Ed, let me look at those."

"Huh?" He glanced back at her.

"The gashes, let me have a look at them. You can't go to a hospital like this, so if you don't want people to find out, I'll have to take a look at them."

Edward sighed. "Go ahead." He nodded, hissing when she gently touched one of the gashes.

"They're pretty deep…"

"I'll survive." Edward shrugged. Masaru glanced at Winry.

"Young lady, you look familiar…" He commented. "What's your name?"

"Winry Rockbell." She replied.

"Ah… how are your parents? They were in the Ishbal war, correct?"

Winry turned away, not wanting to talk about it.

"Ah, I see." Masaru looked at the ground. "I am sorry. They were good people."

"I know." Winry closed her eyes. "I know…" She glanced up at him. "How did you know my parents?"

"It was shortly after I became a Chimera, I had gone to Ishbal to find others of my kind, get them out of the war zone. There were only one or two Alchemists who could make Chimeras like myself at the time, and they were well-hidden, and separate from the military, but I hoped… I was young and a bit foolish, so I didn't realize that it was a false hope." He paused for a moment. "I was searching an abandoned building, which would've been a perfect sanctuary for Chimeras, but while I was in there, the walls around me blew up. Your parents found me in the rubble, and gave me the medical attention I needed. They didn't care about my ears or tail."

"That sounds like my parents." Winry smiled. "They were killed by the military, because they took Ishballan patients…"

"That only makes things worse…" Masaru sighed. "Winry, you're welcome here as long as you don't tell anyone of our presence here. It's the least I can do."

"Thank you." Winry bowed.

"If any of the other Chimeras give you a hard time, let me know, if Edward doesn't straighten them out first." He shot a smirk at Edward, who rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "See you around, Elric. I'm scouting tonight." He turned and waved, before leaving the warehouse. Ed returned the wave, before turning to Winry.

"Well, we better introduce you to the other Chimeras, huh?" He chuckled. Winry smiled and nodded.

"I'll go find someone who's in a half decent mood!" Kazuya exclaimed, before running off on all fours to go talk to some of the other Chimeras. Winry raised an eyebrow at Edward, who just shrugged.

* * *

_Author's notes: Once again, sorry this wasn't up sooner. I can only have the internet and one other thing open… which makes it hard to type these sometimes… I didn't like the fight scene… it didn't turn out how I imagined it…_


	6. Failed Calculations

_Author's notes: So… I had honestly considered abandoning this… it was simply too old… then I started to watch the FMA: Brotherhood series, and I remembered this fic. I went back through all my old reviews on it, and began to wonder how I could have abandoned my reviewers who had enjoyed this so much .So I reread what I had written… and here we are now. I doubt any of the original reviewers are still reading this, but if you are, will you accept my apologies?_

**State Chimera**

"So, Edo!" Kazuya grinned, bounding back to the Alchemist's side after they had introduced Winry to most of the Chimeras in the warehouse. "Could you tell me how to fight like that? That was amazing! You're the first one to ever defeat Sawako like that! Imagine what you could do in a fight where you had the upper hand!" The brunette Chimera seemed quite excited over Edward's victory. Winry smiled at the boy's cheerfulness, despite the fact that he was most likely classified as illegal, and would probably be killed if ever discovered by the military.

"Yeah," Edward laughed, "I did pretty well, didn't I?" Kazuya nodded, grinning. This earned a scoff from the automail mechanic.

"You could've gotten hurt, Ed!" She exclaimed. "And look at those gashes on your back! You should at least let me bandage them!"

"With what?" Edward challenged, and she realized she really didn't have anything to dress his wounds properly. "Don't worry, Winry. I've had worse. You should've been here when I accidentally pissed Wolf off." Kazuya let out a sad mewl like sound.

"You shouldn't have picked a fight with him, Edo." He mewed. "You were so badly hurt…"

"But I'm okay now, aren't I?" Edward crouched down in front of the boy. He looked apologetic, and maybe even a little bit of guilt rested behind those golden eyes. "You know I'm stronger than that, now. I wasn't used to being a Chimera then, remember? _We_ weren't used to it…" Kazuya hugged the older Chimera tightly, hiding his face against Edward's shoulder. It was much like two brothers, taking comfort in each other's presence. It was slightly surprising, however, how Kazuya had gone from being so excited, to so depressed. Winry was saddened by the sight. "I have to return to Al now, Kaz. Will you behave for Masaru?"

"Mm-hmm." Kazuya let go of Edward, a fierce, almost lion-like determination in his eyes. "I'll behave! Then you can teach me to fight! Promise?"

"Of course. We can't have you getting hurt if you get into trouble." Ed ruffled the boy's hair. When the brown-haired Chimera ran off, Edward stood up again.

"You're pretty attached to that boy, aren't you?" Winry commented, her hands intertwined behind her back. She had a sad smile on her face.

"He was there, with me, that day…" Edward looked away. "That day those bastards did this to me." His ears flattened, and his tail flicked in his anger. His hands had clenched into fists. "He's just a kid, Winry. How could someone…" He didn't finish his sentence. He didn't need to. "It pisses me off, damn it!" Winry placed her hand on his shoulder.

"You've been through a lot since you disappeared, haven't you, Ed?" She hugged him gently. "Come on, let's go back to Central, before Al starts to worry."

"Alright, Winry." He smiled slightly, something which relieved the automail mechanic. As long as Ed could still smile, as long as he could stay strong for those around him, he was definitely still the Ed she knew.

On the way back, while running across the rooftops, Edward stopped abruptly, glancing around. His ears turned this way and that as he listened for something that had managed to escape Winry's ears.

"What is it?" She asked when she caught up to him. He shushed her, which only caused the girl annoyance. Suddenly, he dropped down off the building, landing in an alleyway below. "Hey! How am I supposed to get down there?"

"I dunno, jump?" He replied, looking up at her. "Just give me a moment, alright?" The Fullmetal Alchemist seemed to be searching for something in the alleyway, mewling as he did so, almost as if he was calling for something. He crouched down, but Winry couldn't see what he was up to. This kind of irritated her, but she figured she could wait a little bit. Suddenly, he jumped up on a box and leapt back up onto the roof, a battered, white kitten in his arms.

"How cute!" Winry exclaimed.

"I heard the little guy crying down there. Couldn't just leave him." Edward explained. "He can keep the other one company, while we try to find them homes."

Their trip back to Central was otherwise the same as their journey to the warehouse had been, except now Winry knew where they were going. Edward transmuted a ladder so Winry could climb back inside through the window. He followed behind her, re-transmuting the ladder once he had climbed in through the window.

"Welcome back, brother!" Alphonse exclaimed. He probably would've been smiling if he could. Edward heard his 'breath' hitch when the younger Elric brother noticed the gashes on his older brother's back. "You're hurt! What happened to you?"

"Got into a catfight. It's nothing, really. It'll heal, Al." Edward assured him, setting the new kitten down on the bed.

"A catfight? What kinda cat was that?"

"It's okay, Al." Winry interrupted. "Edward will be okay." Alphonse knew that he could believe Winry more when it came to Edward's physical state.

"I'm gunna get some rest." The Fullmetal Alchemist yawned, collapsing onto his bed, curled up in a rather cat-like way. The two kittens had taken over his pillow. "Goodnight, you two."

"Goodnight, Edward." Winry smiled.

Alphonse kept watch over his older brother as he slept. He was worried that Edward might run off again, and never come back. The night was rather uneventful, until Edward started to yowl. His face was contorted in pain, and he was clutching his stomach. His ears were pressed flat, tail curled tightly.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

"A-Al…" Edward winced, hissing in pain.

"I'm here, brother." Alphonse knelt beside the bed. "What's wrong, Ed?" Winry was up now, standing at Edward's bedside, just as the chimera let out a screaming yowl, curling up. "Brother!"

"I-it'll pa-ass." Edward hissed out.

"Edward…" Winry sat on the edge of the bed, gently placing her hand on his arm.

* * *

Roy yawned, slumping down into his desk chair. He had just shown up to work, the faint light of dawn coming in through the window. Riza rolled her eyes at him.

"You know, if you don't improve your work ethic, you'll never become Fuhrer." She remarked to him. Roy was about to retort, when Winry walked into his office. She looked worried about something, her eyes cast to the ground and hands behind her back. "Ms. Rockbell. Is something wrong?" Riza asked.

"Something's wrong with Edward."

"What?" Roy stood up. "Where is he?"

"In his room."

Roy and Riza followed Winry back to Ed and Al's dorm immediately. Alphonse was still kneeling beside the bed, Edward was curled up, his head resting in the arms of another cat Chimera, his back to the door. His breathing was uneven, and occasionally he'd let out a quiet mewl.

"Who're you?" Riza demanded, pointing her gun at the new Chimera. Winry recognized him, though, and motioned for the lieutenant to lower her weapon.

"Kazuya, what're you doing here?" She asked. It didn't exactly seem like it would be easy for him to sneak into Central, being a Chimera and all. "And how did you even get in here?" The boy pointed to the window. Oh, of course. She reminded himself that the cat Chimeras had cat-like abilities. Which made perfect sense; it just took a little while getting used to being around them so often.

"I wanted to see where Ed was living. I heard him yowling, so I came to check on him…" The brunette mewled slightly, looking down at the alchemist.

"What've you gone and done to yourself, Fullmetal?" Roy questioned, eyeing the gashes on his back, which had formed scabs during the night. They still looked rather painful. But, the Colonel realized, they didn't seem to be the cause of his discomfort. His arms were wrapped around his stomach, as if he had a horrible stomachache or cramp. But it seemed worse than that. Far worse.

"It's not his fault." Kazuya shook his head. "It was those people… they messed up! It's their fault!"

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Alphonse asked. The younger Chimera nodded.

"It's wrong with me, too." He mewed. "The people who did this to us… they messed up. Sometimes this happens to me, too. My stomach starts to hurt so much… It feels like I'm being stabbed repeatedly, or sometimes even torn apart from the inside out…" He hid his face in Ed's cloak.

"So that means you two weren't successful Chimeras." Roy surmised. Alphonse put his hand on Edward's arm. If Roy was correct, then there was something wrong with Edward's internal organs. Something the scientists missed in their calculations would've been all that was needed. And because of that, Edward was suffering.

"But why are you only in pain occasionally? Edward's been back for a week and this is the first time this has happened since we found him." The younger Elric brother remarked. If there was something wrong, it shouldn't just be showing up occasionally, he figured. Unless it needed something to trigger it, but he couldn't think of what that might be.

"The pain will pass." Edward's voice was little more than a whisper. "Just… let me rest, okay? I'll… I'll be alright." It was easy to tell from the weakness in his voice that he was still in pain, but they all knew he was trying to be strong.

"Come by my office when you've recovered, Fullmetal." Roy ordered. "And let us know if this happens again."

"It will happen again." Kazuya mewled. "It won't go away."

"Is there any way to fix what's wrong with them?" Winry asked. If there was some medical or even alchemic way to stop the two from being in so much pain, then why wasn't anyone doing anything to help them?

"It's not just us." Edward whispered. "There are others, too, who are in pain all the time…"

Riza spoke up. "Let's let him rest. If he gets worse, let us know."

"We will." Winry replied. Roy turned and left, the lieutenant following behind.

"Sir," Riza spoke up, "is there any way to help Edward?" She asked as they walked back to his office. She was a little concerned. If something triggered this during a fight, Edward would surely be done for.

"Not without breaking taboo." The Colonel sighed. "He'll just have to live with it. We don't know exactly how he was transmuted, so there isn't much we can do anyway."

"I see."

"Feel kinda bad for the kid, actually. Can't be easy, what he went through."

Riza didn't respond, but she agreed with the Colonel. Roy sighed.

"We'll just have to wait and see how things go."


	7. Distant Memories

_Author's notes: So, a lot of my original plan for this story has been scrapped. Simply because it was incredibly corny and I can't remember half of it. And Kazuya's part to play has been altered a lot. Originally, he was just meant to be the hyper little Chimera child in the background… Not a whole lot happening in this chapter, but the next chapter we'll find out about what happened to Edward while he was gone. Anyway, hope you enjoy. _

**State Chimera**

It was late in the afternoon before Edward finally showed up at Roy's office, Alphonse following him.

"So, feeling any better?" Roy asked, looking up from the paperwork he hadn't bothered to read at all. Actually, that was a lie. He read the title to make sure it wasn't about anything important. That was pretty much it. In all honesty, the only difference that seemed to exist between when Roy saw the Fullmetal Alchemist this morning, and now, was that he wasn't curled up and visibly suffering. Edward's hand was resting on his stomach as he slumped down onto the couch, letting his hood fall. His skin was sickly pale, and his golden eyes looked sort of glazed over, as if he really wasn't focusing on anything in particular.

"Hey, um…"

"Oh!" Alphonse jumped at the voice coming from inside his armor. He opened up his chest plate, allowing Kazuya to jump out. The chimera stretched, yawning.

"You should go home, Kaz." Edward looked over at the boy. "Go take a cat nap, or something. I'll be fine. You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course I do." Kazuya smiled. "But I guess you're right, I should head back now… I'll see you tonight?"

"We'll see. If I'm feeling better by then." Edward didn't want to make a promise and break it without warning because he was still in pain that night. Kazuya nodded. That was good enough for him. He bounded off, jumping out the window. Riza ran over to the windowpane, looking around for the child, but he was nowhere to be seen. He had already run off.

"You still don't look too well, Edward." She remarked, moving to his side. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"It's fading." He answered. "I'll be fine by the time dinner comes around."

"You sound confident. This happen often?" Roy remarked. "I need to know if this is a problem we'll be facing regularly."

"Worst case scenario?"

"I'll discharge you from the military on medical grounds due to injuries sustained durring your recent disappearance."

Roy could tell that Edward didn't like the sound of that. He knew that Edward needed his state certification to find information on the Philosopher's Stone, to restore his and his little brother's bodies. The Flame Alchemist faintly wondered if Edward would try to use the stone to reverse the alchemy that turned him into a Chimera.

"That can't happen." Edward shook his head. "As much as I hate to say it, I need to be a dog of the military."

"Cat." Roy corrected.

"Huh?"

"Cat of the military. You're a cat now, Fullmetal."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You don't have to remind me." He winced visibly, clutching his stomach.

"Fullmetal?"

Edward didn't answer, standing and stumbling towards the door. He collapsed before he made it, caught by Alphonse.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Alphonse was worried. Edward was acting weird. He didn't seem well at all, really. This was enforced when the alchemist coughed harshly, blood spilling out of his lips.

"Damn it, Fullmetal!" Roy stood up, his hand slamming down on his desk. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

He didn't get his answer, because Edward passed out.

* * *

"Brother…"

"Alphonse," Winry put her hand on Al's shoulder. "He'll be alright. He's Edward Elric. He's been through a lot; it'll take more than this to knock him down."

Night had fallen already, finding Winry Rockbell and Alphonse Elric at the bedside of a still unconscious Edward Elric. They couldn't call him a doctor, so they had left him in his dorm room to monitor. If things got too desperate…

"Winry," Alphonse spoke, not looking away from his brother. "Do you think he's hurting?"

"I don't know, Al. I don't even know what's wrong with him." She shook her head. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Masaru or Kazuya knew what to do to help the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Hey,"

Winry turned to see Roy standing in the doorway.

"I'm heading home. You have my number in case anything happens. I'll have Lieutenant Hawkeye leave her number in case you can't reach me." Even though it didn't often seem like it, Roy did feel sorry for Edward, and slightly guilty. After all, he'd been the one to pass that assignment on to Edward. In addition, he was also responsible for keeping tabs on the boy's wellbeing, which was his excuse for leaving his number with Alphonse and Winry. It was true, after all.

"Yes, sir." The automail mechanic bowed her head slightly. "Sir, I just wanted to ask something…"

"Yes?" Roy raised an eyebrow, curious as to what the girl wanted to know.

"I want your opinion… as a State Alchemist…" She looked him in the eye. "Do you think Edward will ever live a normal life again?"

"I can honestly answer that no." The Flame Alchemist shook his head. "In fact, some people might see it as an act of mercy to-"

"Don't say it!" Winry didn't want to hear it. "It wouldn't be a mercy for Edward! He'd be so upset that he wouldn't have been able to fulfill his promises!"

"I said some people. I didn't say it's what I thought." Roy left, closing the door.

Winry and Alphonse remained in silence, interrupted only by the occasional cough or sputter from Edward, causing blood to escape through his lips. Alphonse would quickly wipe it away with a piece of cloth.

"Al," it was Winry who finally broke the silence. "I'll be back later. I'm going to speak with the Chimeras. They might know what to do about Ed's condition." She could only hope that was the case. It hurt to think that there might not be anything that they could do to help him.

"Be careful, Winry."

"I will." She smiled.

The path she took to the warehouse followed several backstreets. The only way she knew where she was going was that she made sure that she could see something familiar from when Edward had brought her along the rooftops. But at the same time, she had to make sure that she wasn't followed by anyone. After all, if the Chimeras were found… well, she didn't want to think about that.

"Ms Rockbell."

Masaru found her, wandering the streets on her way to the warehouse. "What brings you to these streets alone?"

"It's about Edward…" Winry knew her voice was faint. "I'm worried… he started coughing up blood and then he just passed out…" The cat Chimera was silent. He stood atop the rooftops above her, a concerned look on his face.

"It wouldn't be the first time… Perhaps…" He sighed. "I will tell you what Edward has been through. And perhaps, you will find a way to help him and Kazuya…"

* * *

"Winry's been gone awhile…" Alphonse sighed, sitting down on the floor beside his brother's bed. He had no clue where the girl had gone to, so he couldn't do much if he tried to search for her. Besides, he didn't want to leave Edward alone in case the Fullmetal Alchemist woke up. "I hope she's alright." He almost expected an answer, but the only response he got was the sound of his brother's breaths and the occasional cough, sputter or gag.

Alphonse sat in the semi-silence, watching Edward sleep. It wasn't something he was unaccustomed to, but now it was laced with worry, unlike usual, where it was simply a lack of ability to sleep. But now, there was something seriously wrong with his older brother, so all Alphonse could do was worry.

"Al?"

"Huh?" Alphonse sat up quickly, leaning forwards slightly. "Brother? You're awake! Are you okay?"

"What happened, Al?" Edward tried to sit up, but gasped in pain as he did so. Still, he refused to lay back down.

"You shouldn't try to push yourself, brother. You'll only hurt yourself more." The younger brother shook his head. "Well, you're awake now, so that must mean you're feeling better. You started coughing up blood, and then you passed out…"

"That explains why I can taste it." The older brother muttered, wiping some blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. "Where's Winry?"

"She went to speak with the Chimeras…"

"Alone?" Edward exclaimed, moving to get up, but the sudden action caused a stabbing pain to shoot through his stomach, and he ended up hunched over on the floor, clutching his midsection. Alphonse gently picked him up, putting him back on his bed.

"Don't worry, brother. She should be back soon."

"I hope she remembers how to get there and back…" Edward muttered. He didn't want Winry lost in Central in the middle of the night. That was more than just dangerous.

"You should rest, brother." Alphonse suggested. "You'll get better faster that way."

"Maybe once Winry gets back. I want to make sure Sawako didn't lay a claw on her." Edward looked distant. He was staring out the window, seemingly distracted. His eyes were unfocused, as if they were watching something that couldn't be seen. Alphonse thought that he saw the older brother's eyes start to water, but Edward yawned and slumped back onto his bed before any tears could fall. "So much has happened, Al…"

"Are you in any pain?"

"A little, but it's not that bad now…" Edward sighed. "Part of me wishes I could turn back time to before this all happened. But the other part doesn't want to lose what I've gained." He held his left hand out in front of him, extending his nails into claws. "It makes me wonder how different things would be now…"

"When we get the Philosopher's Stone, we might be able to return you to your original self, brother."

Edward sighed. "I dunno about that, Al. We have to get your body back, first. I can live like this, but you've been trapped in that armor for too long."

"But brother! You were coughing up blood! That's not normal! What if you _can't_ live like this?" The younger of the two Elrics questioned. "You could die! And I don't want to lose you, brother!"

"Hey." Edward gave him a stern look. "Don't talk like that. I'm not going anywhere, Al, and you know that."

"But brother…"

"No buts, Al. I'm not going to die. No way. Even if I start to fall apart from the inside out, I'll find a way to stick around."

Alphonse smiled mentally. He knew Edward wasn't just trying to reassure him. That was truth. Edward wasn't going to leave Alphonse if he had another choice. He planned on staying around at least long enough to get at least the younger brother's body back.

"Then I'll be here." He really wished he could smile, so that his brother knew exactly how he felt right now. But, judging by the smile on Edward's face, just the tone of Al's voice told him all he needed to know. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah," Edward sat up again, shifting so he could sit comfortably. "I'll be alright, Al. Don't you worry about me."

"Of course I'm going to worry. You're always worrying about me, but did you ever stop to think that I worry about you, too? You're my brother. We look out for each other. It goes both ways."

"I suppose so." Edward smiled. "Of course, there's someone else I'm responsible for now, too…"

"You mean Kazuya?"

"Yeah. I made a promise to his mother to keep him safe…"

"What happened to her?" Alphonse was curious. Edward sighed, wrapping his arms around his knees.

"The two of them were both to be used as experiments. She was one of the first to be transmuted…" He trailed off for a moment, eyes distant. "She died that night." Alphonse wasn't sure what to say, so they sat in silence, until Edward finally decided to sleep properly.

His dreams only served as reminders of that place…


	8. Dreams of a NotPeace

_Author's notes: This doesn't really particularly follow either the original anime or the manga/Brotherhood. It was started before Brotherhood was released, but I suppose it could fit into any of them at the moment. Xing will be mentioned, but even in the original anime, it's pretty obvious that there has to be more than one country in the world. Anyway, let me know if you'd like me to make it strictly cannon to one of them. That way I can bring in the Homunculi and not have to worry about the Pride and Wrath confusion.  
_

**State Chimera**

"_Hey! Let us out now! There's a child in here!" _

_The calls fell upon deaf ears. Behind him, Edward could hear the crying of a young boy, and the gently shushing of his mother. If he had the chance, he would've escaped by now. That wasn't easy when strapped into a straitjacket. _

"_So they got another one." _

_Edward looked over his shoulder at the man there. They weren't alone. There were a total of ten people in the large jail cell, but the Fullmetal Alchemist was the only one being restrained. _

"_You okay, kid? Hey, wait, you're the Fullmetal Alchemist!" _

_Every face in that cell was etched into Edward's mind forever. _

_The man speaking to him had dirty blond hair and brown-green eyes. His skin was slightly tanned, and he had a decent build. He looked like he was a military type. _

_In a corner was a young woman, a couple years older than he was, with platinum blond hair and fair skin. Her blue eyes were frightened, staring at the world with newfound distrust. She seemed too gentle to do harm to even a fly. _

_Clinging to her was a young girl – about five years old, her hair a couple shades darker. Her eyes matched the other girl's. Deep blue, and scared for her life. _

_A man was sitting against the opposite wall, his dark hair a complete and utter mess. His hazel eyes held guilt behind him. He seemed like he'd be a thief or some sort of criminal. But his eyes didn't hold the savage scowl that a murderer or similar had. _

_A woman in her early twenties, her dark brown hair back in a ponytail was standing at the bars of the cell. She held a fierce determination in her pale hazel eyes, which almost seemed yellow when light hit them just right. It was clear that she wasn't going down without a fight. She was definitely battered, bruises and half-healed scratches marring her pale skin._

_At her feet a boy with matching brown hair and dark brown eyes sat, hugging his knees. He looked scared, watching out the bars as if there was some freedom to be found. _

_There was a man in his mid forties, his dark hair beginning to gray. His pale green eyes looked weary. It was obvious that he was tired of fighting. He was sitting on the only bench in the empty gray cell, looking out at the others in the room. _

_The last two was a mother and her child. The mother had long black hair held away from her face by a headband, and deep cerulean blue eyes. She couldn't be any older than twenty eight, yet her son was somewhere around 10-13 years old. He had his mother's eyes, but had dark brown hair. The boy was crying, clinging to his mother's shirt, as she shushed him gently. _

"_Hey," Edward spoke up, "Why are we all here?" _

"_We don't know." The military-looking man spoke. "But we've overheard them mentioning Chimeras… whatever their planning, it probably isn't anything good." He gently pulled the Fullmetal Alchemist to his feet. "I'm first lieutenant Walter Curtiss. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I apologize it's not under better circumstances." _

"_It's alright, you don't have to treat me like some high ranking official." Edward told the lieutenant. "Just call me Edward. Right now, we're all in the same boat, rank doesn't matter." _

"_Uh…" Walter seemed put off. "I uh… thank you si- I mean Edward." _

"_Don't mention it. Hey, could someone get me out of this jacket? I might be able to transmute a way out." _

_Walter and the battered woman at the cell bars attempted to pull the straitjacket free, but to no avail. _

"_It's been transmuted together." _

"_Damn." Edward swore. "I can't perform alchemy like this." _

"_We'll find another way." The criminal-looking man spoke up. "Right now, they'll be expecting you to find some way out. If you sit tight for awhile, they might loosen the security. They wouldn't want a State Alchemist able to easily transmute a way out of here." _

_Edward would never forget their names. _

_Walter Curtiss_

_Linda and Mabelle Norris_

_Felix Argall_

_Tonya and Hunter Vance_

_Henry Olhouser_

_Shannon and Kazuya. They didn't have a last name. _

"_Kazuya's father left us," Shannon explained to Edward one night while Kazuya was playing with Hunter and Mabelle. "He said he was going home. To Xing, that is. I don't know if he's dead or alive, or where he is now. Kazuya doesn't remember him, but I suppose it's for the best." _

"_Has he ever wondered?" _

"_He's asked before, but not lately. I try to be there for him whenever he needs me." _

"_I'm sure that's enough for him." _

_Soon, the first three were taken away. Walter, Henry and Shannon were dragged off by the scientists. Tonya had to hold Kazuya back to keep him from running after his mother. _

"_Damn it, there's nothing we can do like this!" Edward swore. He started going through his mind for any sort of plan, but nothing came to mind. _

_When the three were brought back, they weren't human any more. Henry looked more like a black bear than a human, barely capable of speech. He started vomiting blood immediately, and was the first to die. Walter was more human than animal, with a humanoid shape. He was covered in fur and had the ears of water spaniel. His heart gave out, and he died, too. _

_Shannon's ears had rounded, becoming lion-like. Her entire body was covered in coarse, black fur, like that of a lion's, and she had a matching black tail. She was coughing up blood all night. Kazuya was crying at her side. _

"_Mom! Mom, don't leave me!" He begged. Edward was sitting beside him, trying to be of some comfort. "Mom! Please!" _

"_Edward…" Shannon looked at him. "Could you… do something… for me?" _

"_Sure, anything." The Fullmetal Alchemist answered. _

"_Protect Kazuya. Take care of him… for me…" _

"_Mom!" Kazuya clung to her, crying. Edward shook his head. He could speak words of encouragement, but as Shannon coughed up some more blood, a black-red color now. _

"_I'll keep him safe. I promise." He assured her. A smile found its way onto Shannon's lips, before her eyes closed and her body went limp, the last breaths leaving her body. _

"_MOM!" Kazuya screamed, clinging to her body. Edward could only watch, tears escaping his eyes. _

"_Damn it." _

_Before long, it was just the two of them. The others all died in failed mutations or shortly after they were turned into Chimera. Kazuya was clinging onto Edward's arm desperately as scientists began to drag him away. _

"_No! Damn it! Don't you take him away!" Fullmetal screamed, kicking out at them. Inevitably, Kazuya was dragged away, screaming. "KAZUYA!"

* * *

_

"KAZUYA!"

"Brother!" Alphonse bolted up with a start. Edward looked around frantically. No, he was okay. He wasn't in that place. He wasn't in a straitjacket. It was just a dream. He was back at Central. Al was there. He was okay. Everything was okay. "You were dreaming, weren't you?"

"That wasn't a dream." Edward hugged his knees, resting his forehead on his arms. "Those were memories."

Alphonse sighed. The sun was rising. Winry was sleeping on the floor, having returned during the night. She'd been watching Edward, too, but she had fallen asleep. Alphonse had retrieved a pillow and a blanket for her, offering at least a little comfort on the hard floor.

"What memories?"

"Memories of that place. Where Kaz and I were turned into Chimeras."

There was a long silence, broken only by a knock on the door. Alphonse opened the door.

"Colonel Mustang!" He exclaimed. The colonel looked slightly tired, but perhaps that was just drowsiness. After all, it was early in the morning.

"Well, it's good to see you're up, Fullmetal." Roy remarked, stepping into the room.

"Shut up, Mustang." Edward grumbled, not in the mood to speak to the Flame Alchemist right now.

"How's your stomach?" Said Flame Alchemist ignored Edward's remark.

"It's fine now, so will you get lost? I'm not in the mood." The chimera hissed.

The colonel was amused. Edward's attitude hadn't changed, despite everything that had happened to him. Mustang doubted it ever would.

"I'll see you around, Fullmetal." He stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"You know, brother, you don't have to be so rude to him." Alphonse was frowning mentally.

"Yeah, well he doesn't have to be such an ass."

"He was just concerned for your wellbeing, brother. You didn't have to hiss at him like that."

"Yeah, sure. Because I'm his subordinate, he's responsible for me. There's a difference between concern and responsibility."

"Brother, you need to learn that you're not alone!" The younger Elric exclaimed. "We've fought side-by-side this whole time! I wasn't there when you became a Chimera, but that doesn't mean you're suddenly alone. I want to help you, brother, but I can't do that if you keep shutting us out!"

Edward looked slightly stunned, staring at his little brother. "Al… I…" He looked down, ears drooping slightly. "I don't mean to shut you out, Al. It's just… It's hard, you know. We were so focused on our goal, and suddenly, it feels almost as if it's become unreachable. If I'm found out, I'll lose my State Certification and our chances of finding the stone… but how are we supposed to keep this secret?"

"You two…" Winry sighed, having been woken up by the two Elrics. "You don't get it. There are people ready to help you with your troubles at a moment's notice, but we can't do anything for either of you if you don't tell us anything. That includes you, too, Al. You're just as stubborn as your brother." She sat up, and looked up at Edward. "Maybe if you let us, we can all work together to find a way to help you, Ed." She smiled. "Just… don't wait too long to ask, okay?"

"Winry…" Edward sighed, closing his eyes as he smiled slightly. "You're right. Thanks." She smiled back.

"Don't mention it. After all, someone needs to knock some sense into you two every once in awhile."

* * *

"You sure this is a good idea, Fullmetal?"

"Relax!" Edward rolled his eyes. His ears and tail were easily hidden beneath his cloak, and a suitcase was resting against his leg. He, Winry and Alphonse had decided to go to Risembool for a little while. By now, they figured, Pinako would've told the townspeople that Edward was, in fact, alive. Of course, being gone for a few days meant that he'd be away from the Chimeras for awhile. Masaru had assured him that it would be alright, and reminded him that he wasn't actually obligated to stay with them. "I'm just going home for a few days. I don't need to be babysat."

"With everything that's happened as of late, you can never be too sure. See you soon, Fullmetal." Roy turned and walked off, leaving Edward, Alphonse and Winry at the train station. They knew the commotion that would be started once everyone who lived back home learned that Edward was in fact, alive. Everyone would be so happy. After all, it was a small country town. Everyone knew each other, and everyone would drop everything to help their neighbor. It was the kind of place where nothing really exciting happened for most of the time, but sometimes, a break from the excitement was all that was needed. And Edward knew that was exactly what he needed. To clear his head, and sort out everything that had happened to him recently.

The trip to Risembool was highly uneventful. Edward was curled up on the bench with his back to the world most of the time, taking cat naps. Winry sighed at this. It was just one example of the effects the cat part of Edward had on the alchemist.

Annoyingly enough, occasionally there would be a loud thud on the roof of the train car at random intervals throughout the journey. No one bothered to investigate, since no trouble seemed to have been caused by the sound. If Edward had been awake, he probably would've been on the top of the train in a moment.

Their return to Risembool found many of the townspeople – as soon as they heard that Edward was back – rushing over to greet him. It was all the Fullmetal Alchemist could do to keep his hood up and his face hidden. Their explanation was that his face had a disgusting-looking wound on it, and that Edward would rather not let them see it. Eventually, no one else began questioning him on what had happened. They learned pretty quickly that Edward wasn't going to answer. Their walk through the town was unhindered the rest of the way.

Pinako was waiting for them on the front porch of the Rockbell house, a faint smile on her face.

"Well, Edward, you probably don't realize how much of a relief this is."


	9. Qilin of Xing

_Author's notes: So, I've tried a hand with incorporating some mythology into this. It's sort of like how Alkahestry is based off of the early Chinese alchemic studies and such, but this is more related to Chimera myths… eh, anyway. I've gotten a few new story faves and alerts on this, which have made me very happy. Thank you, everyone~!_

**State Chimera**

"Hey, Granny." Edward smiled slightly. "It's good to see you."

"You, too, Ed. I must say, you had us quite worried. It is good to see that you're alive." Pinako paused for a moment. "But I see you haven't grown much since the last time I saw you. You're still as short as ever."

"What was that?" Edward snarled. "You're one to talk. You're half my size."

"I was once tall, Edward, unlike you who has always been and will always be _short_."

"I find that highly hard to believe."

Winry sighed, frowning at the two. "Calm down. It's the first time you've been home for awhile, Ed, so relax. You don't want to have another fit, do you?"

"What do you mean?" Edward couldn't remember having any 'fits'.

"Your stomach, remember? You don't want it acting up again, and you _certainly _don't want to be coughing up blood." She put her hands on her hips, staring down at the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Come." Pinako spoke up. "Let's talk inside, and then you can explain everything."

Edward, Alphonse and Winry followed the short woman inside and into the lounge. The older of the two Elrics slumped onto the couch, letting his hood fall. Pinako gave him a slightly surprised glance.

"So Winry wasn't joking…"

"What do you take me for, Grandma?" The mechanic huffed. "I wouldn't lie about something as serious as this." Although, Winry supposed that the phrase 'oh, and Edward's part cat now' probably sounded like a joke.

"Unfortunately, this is all too real." Edward unwrapped his tail from around himself, flicking it to try and ease the cramps left from it being wrapped tightly around him for so long. "And what's worse, the people who did this to me? A bunch of amateurs. To them, I was nothing more than an experiment to see if it was possible to create a human Chimera. Out of ten 'experiments', only two of us survived. They're such amateurs because they couldn't even figure out how to properly put my organs back together."

"Masaru told me about what happened to you in that place…" Winry looked at the ground. "He said that you could only watch as everyone else died from organ failures as a result of the transmutations." Edward didn't seem to react at first, until his ears flattened against his head, and his tail stilled, dropping down onto the couch beside him.

"I'd rather not remember, but I can't forget." His voice was nothing more than a weak-sounding mewl. It scared those present in the room. It was a tone they had never heard the Fullmetal Alchemist use. He was always so headstrong and cocky, always so optimistic and determined. To hear him sounding so weak and helpless, it was frightening. "I'll never forget any of them. I can remember their faces, their first and last names; I can even remember what they told me about their lives, their families, their friends." He shook his head. "I wish I could've done something to help them. Anything…"

"Oh, Ed." Winry hugged the Chimera suddenly. "You did everything you could. You were in the exact same situation as they were."

"But I survived."

"I can't say I understand," Pinako spoke up, "but if you really want to do something for them, you could always reveal the experiments that killed them."

Edward's ears and tail perked up in surprise. Winry released him. Revealing the experiments, though, would reveal what had become of him. He wouldn't be treated as a human anymore. Some people would see him as an animal, some as some twisted cross, and others simply as an inhuman monster. That was if he was even allowed to live. He hadn't expected for everything to return to normal. Actually, he had originally planned to live out the rest of his days in hiding with the other Chimera in Central, but when he had been unexpectedly uncovered by Mustang, his men and Al, that plan had been scrapped.

"But… then brother would be found out." Alphonse remarked. "He could be killed!"

"Al's right." Winry shook her head. "It's too risky."

"It was only a suggestion." Pinako added, before leaving the room.

* * *

Edward went off for a run that night. It was something he found quite enjoyable since he'd become a Chimera. It was part of his nature as a cat. Animal instincts and all. As annoying as they were, they were quite helpful in a pinch. He paused at the rocky riverbanks, looking into the water pensively. It wasn't something cats were fond of, water. Well, domestic cats anyway.

He could smell someone across the river. The chimera turned his ears to listen to their footsteps. Their breathing was quick, labored. Not like they were exhausted, but like they were scared. Scared of what?

_Me. _Edward looked up, his eyes wide. A light was shining at him from a flashlight, right into his eyes. Being cats' eyes, the light reflected back out of them, making it look like they were glowing.

"You monster! Take this!" The man across the river yelled. "I've been following you since you passed my house! You won't be pulling any funny stuff in our town!"

"Wait! You don't under-" Too late. The man raised a gun – a hunting rifle from the looks of it – and fired twice. Edward yowled as the bullets lodged into his left shoulder, stomach and right shin, causing him to lose his balance and fall into the water. The currents pulled him downstream, choking him and pressing in on him. Up became down and down became up. All sense of direction was warped. The animal part of him panicked, and fear gripped the human side. His automail was weighting him down, too, making it even harder to try and save himself. The metal limbs felt like they were only dragging him to the bottom of the river bed.

Suddenly, something had grabbed hold of him, just as soon as he started to lose consciousness. In a split second, air was returning to his lungs and his head was above water. A moment later, he was lying on a riverbank, panting and wheezing.

"Shh." He was faintly aware of a light-haired figure crouched over him. "Try not to move too much. I've gotta get those bullets out of you. But not here. That guy will come back to make sure you drowned. You know anyone in town?" Edward forced himself to nod. He didn't trust his voice right now, especially when it sounded like he was trying to cough up a fur ball. "Can you speak? Who are they?"

"Ro…ck…bell…" He coughed harshly, spitting up water.

"Rockbell?"

Edward nodded. He was faintly aware of pressure being applied to his wounds. His mind was so fogged up, he really wasn't sure what to think. He didn't even register the fact that this person had seen his ears and tail.

"Alright, come on." He was lifted up, and let out a pained mewl. His stomach and shoulder were hurting especially badly. "Aye, you're heavier than you look, you know?" Edward raised his right arm as if that explained everything.

* * *

"Who the heck is knocking at this hour?" Winry groaned. It was almost midnight. Who would have the hide to wake her up? Alphonse eyed the wrench in her hand with slight fear. She was planning on hitting whatever poor guy had something so important that he felt the need to knock at midnight. Alphonse felt for him. He really did. When she opened the door, however, the wrench fell to the ground.

There was a man in his late twenties standing there, his messy, platinum blond hair soaked and plastered to his face, which had black, tiger-like stripes that appeared to be tattoos along his cheek and jaw bones, as well as above his eyes. He had a ripped, brown jacket over his shoulder, while his dark shirt and black pants were soaked, just like the rest of him, sticking to his skin. The man's eyes were odd. There was no white to them, just a pure crystal blue with a black pupil. They were kind of… bizarre.

In his arms was a familiar, blond haired Chimera boy. Brown fabric – presumably from the jacket – had been tied around his right shin, stomach and left shoulder. The Fullmetal Alchemist was soaked to the bone, shivering in the arms of the unfamiliar man.

"Edward!" Winry choked. "What happened to him?"

"He was spotted by one of the townspeople. They mistook him for some sort of monster and shot him, causing him to fall into the river."

"Can't you stay out of trouble for one night, Edward?" She exclaimed. "Take him to the operating room, Al. I'll be right back."

"R-right!" Alphonse was worried. Edward didn't look too well. He seemed to be on the verge of hypothermia, as well. He took his brother from the man. "Wait in here, I'll get you a towel as soon as Winry gets back."

"Take your time. I won't freeze. You take care of the kid."

Alphonse didn't argue, quickly taking his older brother into the surgery room usually used for automail attachments. As soon as he had laid the Fullmetal Alchemist down, Edward was coughing up blood, holding his stomach with his right hand.

"Brother, you're always getting into trouble…"

"Save the lecture, Al." He groaned. The small teen's teeth were beginning to chatter, and his skin was pale. Alphonse wasn't too sure how to help him. Luckily, Winry and Pinako entered the room a moment later, shooing the younger Elric brother from the room.

"We'll take care of him, Al, don't you worry." Pinako assured him. "Now, you take care of our guest. He did save your brother, after all."

Alphonse was worried. He couldn't help that. Edward was his older brother. He was the only family he had left! He hated feeling so useless – like the Colonel on rainy days, he supposed. He couldn't do anything to help Edward right now. So, he did as he was told. Alphonse grabbed a clean towel from the bathroom on his way to the lounge, handing the towel to the man standing in the middle of the room.

"Ah, many thanks." He said, before drying his hair and face with the towel. The odd spikes his hair was left in were kind of amusing, but this wasn't a time to really be amused. "I should apologize. Showing up at your door at such a late hour…"

"Oh, no," Alphonse shook his head quickly, "it's no trouble. After all, if you hadn't, who knows what would've happened to Brother…"

"Oh, is he your younger brother?"

Al laughed. "Oh, no, you see, I'm the younger brother."

"Oh, I apologize, I thought…" The man looked up, sighing.

"I'm Alphonse, by the way."

"Jiang. It's a pleasure to meet you, Alphonse."

"Your name…" Alphonse tilted his head. That didn't sound like an Amestrian name at all. "Where are you from?" Jiang laughed.

"I didn't expect it to be so obvious. I'm from Xing, across the desert. I came here looking for my family." He paused. "You see, I was living here for awhile, but I returned to Xing to set up a living for us there. But, when I came back, I found that my family had disappeared." He sighed, looking down. "Was I too late?"

"I'm sure they're fine." Alphonse assured him. "They might have had to move or something. You'll see them again." Jiang smiled slightly.

"Thank you, Alphonse." He paused. "On another note, your brother, he is what you call a Chimera, correct?"

The Elric brother hesitated. Yes, that was true, and it was obvious, but why did this man need to confirm it? What did he want? Where was this conversation heading? "Yes, he is, but why…?" Jiang held up his right hand. Suddenly, it rounded off into a paw, covered in platinum blond fur, the color broken by black tiger-stripes. This transformation continued up to his elbow before it ceased. Then, suddenly, it disappeared and his arm was back to normal.

"In my country, we refer to ourselves as 'Qilin'."

Alphonse was stunned. He had nothing to say. Wordless. Another Chimera? This was getting to be too much. It was like a whole new world had been opened up ever since Edward had become a Chimera. Which, that may have been so. Perhaps Chimeras weren't destroyed, but rather… turned a blind eye to? How could someone do that? Those people could no longer live normal lives because of what had happened.

"The silence is unnerving, Alphonse." Jiang spoke up.

"I… I'm sorry. It's just…" He paused, unsure of what to say. "It's all too much… first brother, and then all these other people, too… I can't believe someone could be so heartless as to…"

"Heartless?" Jiang looked insulted. "Don't make me laugh, boy! It is an honor to be a Qilin!"

"Maybe in Xing, but here, human Chimeras are illegal! It's _human transmutation_!"

"Then I shall find my family and return home before your misguided people lynch me."

Alphonse didn't know what to say. He really did not know what to say at all.


	10. Missing Connections?

**State Chimera**

Winry reappeared awhile later. By this point, Jiang had finished drying himself off, and Alphonse had opted to sitting on the couch, waiting for any news. As soon as the automail mechanic had emerged, the two looked to her questioningly. There was some blood on the apron she was wearing, but it didn't seem too serious.

"Edward should be fine, but he'll need a proper doctor when you get back to Central just to make sure."

"You're not coming with, Winry?" Alphonse was kind of disappointed. It wasn't very often they saw their childhood friend anymore, and Edward had told Winry more about what had happened than he had told anyone else. Or maybe it was just that Winry pushed him a bit more than the others did. She knew what to say to get him to open up. Al did too, of course, he just didn't want to force his brother to talk about painful memories. He didn't want to force Edward to go through that hell again.

"No, I'm going to stay here. You can take care of Ed, can't you?"

"Of course, he's my brother!"

Winry smiled. "I know, Al. I was just making sure." She paused. "Right now, we're just trying to keep him warm. Could you get him a change of clothes?"

"O-of course!" Alphonse headed upstairs to the bedroom Edward slept in when they stayed here. He pulled the suitcase out from under the bed, quickly finding a change of clothes for his older brother. The younger brother bolted back down, giving the clothes to Winry, who thanked him.

"You know… it's kind of odd… his wounds, they weren't bleeding as much as a gunshot would should…" She mused. "I suppose that's probably a good thing, though. It probably means that there wasn't as much tissue damage." And with that, she disappeared again.

"She really cares about you boys." Jiang observed. "Perhaps I should move on. I won't find my family hanging around."

"Oh… are you sure?" Alphonse wanted to offer to allow the Chim… no, Qilin, to come with them, but he wanted to make sure it was alright with his brother first. "Wait at least until morning? I'm sure Brother will want to thank you for saving him." Jiang sighed.

"Well, I suppose it would probably be best if I did get a proper night's sleep tonight. I won't be intruding, will I?"

"I don't think anyone will mind."

"I guess that's it, then." It had been a long time since Jiang had seen such hospitality. Then again… he tried to avoid people he didn't recognize. But that boy… he couldn't leave him to drown. He imagined his son, falling into a river and drowning. He'd want someone to do something. _My son… where are you, anyway? Are you and your mother well?_

Alphonse noticed that Jiang had gone quiet, but didn't really want to intrude on his thoughts, so he remained quiet, too. Waiting once again.

Jiang was later shown to a spare room. Alphonse was told to monitor Edward through the night. The blond had been wrapped in blankets, folded up cloths, damp with warm water, were resting behind his neck and on his forehead. Another, Al knew, had been placed over Edward's chest. He was asleep right now, his breathing fairly even – except the occasional shivers that would wrack his body.

"You should really be more careful, Brother…" Alphonse sighed. "You _know _we worry about you. Yet… why do you keep pushing us away? We _want _to help you… but… we can't…" Another sigh. Edward couldn't hear him anyway.

* * *

They left mid-day the next day. Jiang came with them after Edward told him about the Chimeras in Central. Unfortunately, for the Fullmetal Alchemist, he wasn't allowed to put weight on his injured leg. This resulted in Alphonse having to carry him to the train. He pretended to be asleep, so that people wouldn't be suspicious. After all, it was one of the townspeople who had shot him. He couldn't blame him, though. The way he was running and the fact that he wasn't hiding his ears or tail, anyone could've mistaken him for some sort of monster.

The trip to Central was rather uneventful. Colonel Mustang was waiting for them at the station, curious as to why Alphonse was carrying his brother. The older brother appeared to be asleep, but Roy knew better than that. His breathing was a bit off for someone who was sleeping, after all.

"What happened?"

"Brother was shot at. Winry says that he'll need a doctor to look at his wounds."

"It couldn't have hit his automail, could it?" Roy pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "That would be too easy! But no, instead, we have to find someone to treat a Chimera. You love getting yourself into these situations, don't you, Fullmetal?"

"Shut up, Colonel Shit." Edward hissed, cracking open an eye to glare at Mustang. "Do you think I asked to be shot at?" He shuddered, before coughing harshly, blood escaping past his lips. Jiang's eyes widened, startled.

"Is he alright?"

"Lemme be." Edward groaned, trying to shift positions. Alphonse looked down at him concernedly.

"We need to get you some help…"

"Drop it." The Chimera shook his head. "There's an abandoned warehouse… I can show you…" he stopped to cough up blood, "how to get there. Just… leave me there."

"Brother, I'm not leaving you anywhere!"

"Fullmetal, why would you want to be left in some empty building in this state?" Roy questioned.

"It's… not empty. Masaru… and the others stay there." Edward coughed harshly, more of the crimson liquid leaving his lips. He looked over at Jiang. "We'll be right at home there."

"Alphonse," The Flame Alchemist spoke up, "you take your brother to the Chimera. They're the only ones who know anything about his condition."

"What about his wounds?"

"We'll deal with those later."

Alphonse didn't want to leave Edward's injuries as they were, but he knew that there was no way they could take him to a doctor. He had no choice but to speak with Masaru to see if there was anything he could do.

* * *

"_Where are you from?" _

"_Central." _

"_Oh," the girl seemed surprised. "There's no road out here, not since the uprising. Why did you come all the way to Lior?" _

"_Because," Masaru chuckled, pulling his hood up again to make sure his ears were hidden. "There's no road here." It was the perfect place for a Chimera to hide. He wasn't hiding, no. He was looking for anyone who was hiding. "I like to go out on adventures every once in awhile." _

"_I see…" The girl paused, looking towards a collapsed building. The walls and what else had all caved in and were eroding, a small gap visible from where they stood. She put her hand on the bandages wrapped around her forearm, almost sub-consciously. _

"_Something the matter?" _

"_There's a cat, I think, there. I hear it crying all the time. When I tried to approach it, it lashed out at me. It must've been a very big cat…" _

"_I see…" Masaru had a suspicion that it wasn't just a cat hiding under that rubble. "Thank you for your time, ma'am, but I must be going." _

"_Oh… of course. It was no trouble at all." _

_Masaru later returned to the collapsed building with some milk and a plate with two steaks on it, both cooked rare. He slowly approached the building, able to hear soft mewls that were halfway between cat and human. 'Help me'. _

"_Hello?" He called gently. He was answered with a threatening hiss. 'Stay the hell away!' "I only want to help. You must be hungry." Slowly, Masaru set the plate down. "You're not a cat, are you?" He glanced around, before lowering his hood slowly to reveal his ears. He heard someone shifting around, before a boy emerged from the opening, covered in dirt, grime and scratches. His golden hair was filthy, and his matching eyes looked exhausted. His clothes were in a similar state. In his arms was a child with brown hair and blue eyes. Both had the ears and tails of cats. _

"_Who are you?" The golden-haired one questioned, his tired voice still having a venomous tone to it. _

"_My name is Masaru. I am a Chimera from Central. I came looking for others of our kind." He pushed the plate towards them. "Please, eat." He could tell that the two hadn't eaten for awhile._

"_I…" A pause as the blond looked down at his young companion. "Thank you." Gently, he shook the brunette's shoulder. "Kazuya, are you feeling alright? Can you eat?" The child stirred, nodding weakly. He pushed himself away from his companion, shakily grabbing the smaller of the two steaks. He chewed on it hesitantly as the blond began to bite into the other one. _

"_There are other Chimera in Central. If you come with me, I can take you some place safe." Masaru left the offer up in the air. "What are your names?"_

"_This is Kazuya." The older of the duo answered. "I'm Edward Elric." _

"_The Fullmetal Alchemist?" Masaru was startled. A State Alchemist would __**not **__be a Chimera! "I heard you were dead." _

"_I guess I've been gone long enough…" Edward paused. "We'll come with you. If nothing else…" he looked down at Kazuya, "for his sake. He can't live like this." _

"_I'll be fine." The young boy insisted. "Whatever you want to do, I'll follow. We've lost everything we had, so we should stay together. We're all we've got." The look on Edward's face was so full of sorrow. Masaru had the feeling that wasn't the first time he had heard that line. _

"_That's right, Kaz…" _

* * *

"Masaru!"

"What is it, Kaz?"

The boy looked exhausted, concern evident in his blue cat's-eyes. "Edo's back, but he's coughing blood and he was shot! He's also brought his brother and another person."

Masaru sighed. Why was Edward bringing others here again? He saw how violently a certain someone had reacted last time. The raven-haired cat Chimera didn't want that to happen again. He jumped off the crate he had been lying on, heading over to the warehouse doors. Kazuya was already speaking with the tallest of the group. That must've been Alphonse, he supposed. Edward's front was stained with the blood he was coughing up.

"Again?" He sighed. "Kazuya, take those two to the back to get Edward cleaned up."

"Okay!" Kazuya turned to Alphonse. "Come with me!" He headed off towards the back of the warehouse. The younger Elric brother followed, his older brother in his arms. Masaru turned to Jiang.

"And who are you?"

"I'm a Qilin. I believe you call yourself Chimeras." He held his arm up. Masaru watched as his arm, up to his elbow, became that of a white tiger's, striped with a tiger-like paw for a hand.

"…I see. Then, we welcome you."

"Thank you."

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to make sure Edward's alright."

"That's quite alright."

Edward, of course, insisted that he was fine. Alphonse was knelt on the ground out behind the back of the warehouse, his brother in his arms as Kazuya soaked a cloth at the warehouse's outdoor water tap.

"Brother," Alphonse sighed, "this isn't good! For you to be coughing up blood like this means that there was some serious damage done to your internal organs!"

"Al… really," The Chimera-Alchemist paused to cough up blood, "it's nothing new for me… I'll be fine in a few hours."

Alphonse wanted so badly to ask 'but what if you're not?' What if Edward just kept coughing up blood until there was nothing left to cough up and he died of blood loss? What if his internal organs shut down and he died from that? There was so much that could go wrong. Did his brother not realize that? Kazuya wiped the blood away from Edward's mouth with the cloth.

"Just hang on, Edo. I'm sure there's a way to make everything better!"

"I wonder…" Jiang mused as he stepped outside through the back door, causing the group to look up. Well, except Edward, who was too busy coughing up blood to notice. "If Alkahestry could be used to help him…"

"But…" Alphonse frowned mentally. The only Alkahestrist he knew was that girl with the cat… "we can't use Alkahestry. And we don't even know what's wrong…"

"Let me see…" Jiang crouched down beside Edward, taking a finger and jabbing it into his middle back. Edward yowled, his tail tensing as his ears flicked back.

"What… was that for?" He hissed.

"I'm trying to figure out how the Chi flows through your body…"

"Why?" Kazuya tilted his head.

"Because," Jiang explained, "I can't use Alkahestry if I don't know that."


End file.
